Professional basketball league Overtime Elite has entered a deal with Meta to create virtual reality content for fans.
The Atlanta-based league, which pays its thirty 16-to-19-year-old athletes at least $100,000 annually, is an alternative path to the NBA that offers full health care benefits and a tailored academic curriculum.
Overtime Elite launched last year and the larger Overtime business was valued at roughly $250 million in April following a funding round with investors including Devin Booker, Klay Thompson, Jeff Bezos, and Drake.
Meta will create immersive experiences through the Quest 2 headset, which becomes the official headset of Overtime as part of the deal.
- The first experience will be “Dunk Shows,” where fans can see live dunk attempts.
- After the live virtual show, fans can watch them on-demand through Oculus TV and Horizon Venues — a metaverse event platform created by Meta.
- In the future, fans will be offered a range of experiences including behind-the-scenes training and players’ academic routines.
The Meta Rebrand
Social media giant Facebook rebranded as Meta in October with plans to shift its focus to the metaverse. It appears the company will gradually kill off the Oculus name as part of that move. Meta purchased Oculus for $2 billion in 2014.
Meta has also announced it will acquire VR fitness company Within.
